Howell



,(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. TYGH-m s. J. s: F. J. HOWELL.

MACHINE FOR RBMOVING FLEECE, WOOL, HAIR, 6to., FROM SKINS.

Patented June 8, 1886.

(No Model.) f 2 sheets-smet 2.

J. TYGHE &-S. J. 8u F. J. HOWELL. MACHINE IOR IIEMOVING FLEECE, WOOL, HAIR, MJROM SKINS.

No."^343.552. Patented June 8. 1.886;

N. PETERS. Phmo-Liuwgmphar. washington. D. C.

` UNITED STATES? PATENT Einen.3

JOSEPH TYGHE, OF WATERTOWN, AND SILAS J. HOWELL AND FRANK J. HOWELL, OF BOSTON, MASS., ASSIGNORS TO SAID JOSEPH TYGHE.

MACHINE FOR REMOVING FLEECE, WOOL, HAIR, &c., FROM SKINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 343,552, dated June 8, 1886.

Application filed November 12, 1885. Serial No. 182,593. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that we, JOSEPH TYGHE and SILAs J. HOWELL and FRANK J HOWELL, respectively of Watertown and Boston, in the counties of Middlesex and Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Removing Fleece,Wool, Hair, &c., from Skins or Hides, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to machines for use for the purpose of removing the fleece or wool or hair from skin or other pelts or hides.`

It consists in the combination,with a knife adapted to be vibratedfor removing the fleece from the sheep-skins, te., of a table or support for said skins, which is adapt-ed to be raised and lowered in relation to the plane of operation of the fleece-removing knife, all substantially as hereinafter fully described.

It also consists in the combination, with a knife adapted to be vibrated for removing the ileece from the sheep-skins, 85e., of a pair of rolls for gripping and feeding the skins, and of a table or support for said skins, which is adapted to be raised and lowered in relation to the planel of operation of the fleece-removing knife, all substantially as hereinafter fully described.

The invention consists in other details of construction in relation to the knife, the table,

and the rolls, all as will fully appear.

In the accompanying plate of drawings this invention is illustrated.

Figure l is a front elevation, and Fig. 2 is a plan view, of the machine. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, and Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section on line 4 4., Fig. l. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view, partially in section.

In the drawings, A represent-s the framework, and B the driving-pulley on shaft O at the upper part of, the machine.

D D are two feed-rollers arranged one above the other, and the lower one, D, in fixed bearings a of the frame and driven by a geari wheel, D, which in turn is rotated by a gear,

D4, on and rotating with a balance-wheel, D5, receiving its rotation through a belt, D, between it and a pulley, Dl, on the driving-shaft O. The upper feed-roller, D2, is in a movable bearing, a2, working in a way, a3, of the frame A, and the roll is held to its work byaspring, a", between said bearing and a block, a5, running in said way a3 of the frame A, and kept to a position of bearing and rest on the Spring a by the turningin and out of ascrew, working in a bearing therefor on the frame A.

F is a knife, with a notched or serrated edge, b. This knife is of a length corresponding to the width of the machine, and at each end it is carried and supported by a block, G, each of which blocks G has a boss, G2, to which is connected one end, d,vof a connecting-rod, H, the other end, d2, of said connecting-rodH engaging with a crank or veccentric pin, f, on a disk, K, rotating in a bearing of the frame A, and driven by a belt running between said disk Kand a pulley, K2, on the driving-shaft C. These blocks G, carrying the fleece-removing knife F, from the rotation of the eccen-k tric pin f of the rotating disk K, andthe connection between them of the connecting-rod, are caused to vibrate in ahorizontal plane, and the length of the vibration or stroke is deter- `mined by the dist-ance the eccentric or crank pin f is placed from the axis of rotation of the disk K. These blocks G travel on and are guided by stationary horizontal ways L.

A table, M, for supporting the skins the fleece of which is to be removed by the knife F, and which are fed past the knife by the feedrolls D D2, is located at the front of the machine and forward of the knife, and this table M is at the upper end of vertical posts or rods M2 guided in ear-pieces M3 of the frame A, and-resting at their lower ends on a horizontal bar, M.

N is a horizontal shaft at the lower and front portion of the frame A, carrying at its outer end a gear-wheel, N2, which is rotated by the turning of a worm or screw, l?, on a shaft, P2. This shaft N has near each end and inside of the frame A a disk, Q, fastened to it, and curved arms Q2, eccentrically pivoted to said disks Q by their ends d3, and by their other ends, d", hung or pivoted to the middle of the horizontal bar M4, supporting and maintaining the posts M2 carrying the table M. rlhe turning of the shaft l?, (through a handlewheel, P3, or otherwise,) and the consequent roo rotation of the screw or worm P, rotates the horizontal shaft N, through its gear-wheel N and the disks Q, and the lower ends, d, of the curved arms Q2 are carried from one position to another, according to the direction of rotation of the shaft, either higher or lower, in relation to the height of said disk, and in the vertical plane of rotation thereof, and its upper end is correspondingly moved, either upward or downward, carrying with it the horizontal bar M, and from such rise or fall of the bar M, produced as just described, the table, through its supporting-posts Mz M, is raised or lowered, and thus it is placed in a plane either coincident with the plane of operation of the fleece-removing knife and of the feed rollers or lower than the same. The knife, as shown, is notched or serrated on its edge b toward the front of the machine, and the edge b2 toward the rear of the machine is slightly raised and higher than the operating and iieece-removing edge b, and thus in the vibration of the knife on a skin which is to be iieeced the edge b2 will not drag, and the edge b is left free to do the work of fieecing or removing the wool, hair, Sie., from the skin.

A roller, R, at the front of the machine, is for facilitating the rolling of the pelis or skins onto the table.

In the operation of this machine a skin or hide is first entered by its edge past the knife between the feed-rollers D D, the machine having been set in motion, and the table proj ected to its uppermost position to support the said skin in the proper plane to be operated on, and the fleece-removing knife then vibrating, as has been described, by its edge b in its forward movement scrapes and works upon the skin or hide being fed by the feed-rollers in a direction opposite to such forward movenient of the knife, and removes the wool or ileeceor hair on said skin, forcing same forward in front of its edge b, from which it is removed and assorted by the attendants or operatives. By the arrangement of one, D2, of the feedrollers in a bearing, as described, by turning in or out the screw the pressure of said roller D2 against the other roller, D, or against a skin, &c., between said rolls D D2 can be increased or diminished, as desired. The knife is provided with a bar of wood, S, or other suitable material on its upper side, and has a hole, g, through it and the ends of said knife, in which fits a bolt or pin, T, of the block G, having at one end a head, g2, and the other end a nut, g3, adapted to screw on said bolt and against a spiral spring surrounding said bolt and between said nut T and the bar S above the knife. By this arrangement the knife is given a yielding pressure in a vertical direction against the skin upon which it is operating, and so for that reason it is prevented from scraping or cutting or scratching said skin, or in any other manner injuring the skin, and the bar S above the knife re-enforces and stiffens or steadies it and prevents it from buckling or wabbling.

It is best to provide the supporting-table for the skins, Sac., with means for raising and lowering it in relation to the plane of operation of the knife or fleece-removing device, as then the skins can be placed and disposed upon the table when the table is out of the plane of operation of the knife.

While particular mechanism for raising and lowering the table is shown and described, other arrangements of mechanisms for accomplishing the same may be employed.

As it is often desirable to free the skins, Snc., of more or less of the moisture in them, this removal is secured by running them through the rolls D D. When not desired to remove iieece from the skins, the table supporting them is not raised to present them to the action of the iieece-rcmoving knife, and such knife may be removed from the machine. The rollers D D2 are preferably surfaced with a rubber constructed with a wooden core, U.

l This construction secures suitable resistance of the rolls, and it is preferable to constructing the rollers wholly of india-rubber, and at y the same time is of less cost.

While certain parts of the mechanism have been shown at both ends of the machine for producing the vibration of the lieece-removing knife and the rotation of the feed-rollers, it plainly is not absolutely necessary to so duplicate the said mechanism to produce the dcsired operations; but it is preferable to do so, as providing the mechanism at each end gives steadier and more uniform movements of the working or operating parts of the machine, and this steadiness of motion in relation to the feed-rolls is still further `insured from the arrangement of the driving-gears therefor in connection with a balance-wheel carrying one of suf-.h gears, as has been hereinbefore fully described.

The mechanism herein described, and shown in the drawings, composed of the gear-Wheels D3 and D* and balance-wheel D, for the drawing of feed-rollers D D, is to constitute the subject of a separate application for Letters Patent of the United States, to be hereafter made, and all rights are hereby reserved for such purpose.

Having thus described our invention, we claiml. In a machine for removing wool or hair from skins, the combination of a vibrating fleece-removing knife, F, means, substantially as described, for vibrating said knife, and a pair of feed-rollers, D D2, substantially as described.

2. In a machine for removing wool or hair from skins, the combination of a vibrating iieece-removing knife, F, means, substantially as described, for vibrating said knife, and a table or support, M, for the skins, substantially as described.

3. In a machine for removing wool or hair from skins, the combination, with a vibrating fleece-removing knife, F, and means, substantially as described, for vibrating said knife,

IOO

IIO

of a pair of feed-rollers, D D2, and a table or support, M, for the skins, substantially as described.

4. In a machine for removing wool or hair from skins, the combination of a vibrating fleece-removing knife, F, means, substantially kas described, for vibrating said knife, a table or support, M, for the skins, and means for raising and lowering said table, substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

5. In a machine for removing wool or hair from skins, the combination of a vibrating fleece-removingknife,` F, means, substantially as described, for vibrating said knife, a pair of feed-rollers, D D2, and means for adjusting the pressure of said rollers on the skins, substantially as described.

6. In a machine for removing wool or hair from skins, having a iieece-removing device, the combination, with a support or table, M, for the skins,and bars M4, supporting and holding said table through posts M2, of disks Q, adapted to be rotated, and arms Q2, each hung at oneend to a bar, M4, and at its other end eccentrically to a disk, and all arranged for operation substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

7. In a machine for removing wool or hair from skins, a fleece-removing knife, F, carried at each end by a block, G, in ,combination with a revolving crank-pin, f, and rods II, connecting said crank and said blocks, substantially as described.

8. In a machine for removing wool or hair from skins,a vibrating fieece-removing knife, F, and means, substantially as described, for vibrating said knife and for.secnring a yielding pressure thereof, substantially as described.

9. Ina machine for removing wool or hair from skins, a fleece-removing knife carried by blocks G, which are adapted to be vibrated, and secured to said blocks by bolts passing through said blocks and loosely through the ends of the knife, and springs conned on said bolts, substantially as described.

10. In a machine for removing wool or hair from skins, a fleece-removing knife having a bar on'and parallel with it carried by blocks G, which are adapted to be vibrated and to have a yielding pressure, substantially as de scribed, for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH TYGHE. SILAS J. HOWELL. FRANK J. HOWELL.

Witness as to all the signatures:

WM. S. BnLLows.

Witness as to Tyghe:

ALBERT W. BROWN.

Witness as to S. J.V and Frank J. Howell:

H. D. BRoNsoN. 

